Date: Wed, 11 Oct 95 01:37:18 ARG From: ales@wamani.apc.org (Alejandra Sarda) LESBIANS, GAYS, TRANSVESTITES AND TRANSEXUALS COMING TOGETHER IN BUENOS AIRES "I learn more here than at school" (Luciana, 19, from Lesbianas A La Vista, after one of the meetings) Something unusual is happening in Buenos Aires. For the last four weeks, every Monday night, a sound majority of the city's lesbian, gay, transvestite and transexual groups are meeting at Tasmania Bar to know each other better, exchange views and develop proposals for working together. This is the first meaningful and organized attempt on that direction and -based on the participants' willingness- the possibilities of these meetings given birth to a movement having a strong responsive capacity and, at the same time, a high level of respect for its internal diversity are very high. The invitation came from NX, the group publishing the only gay magazine with massive circulation in Argentina, after the took over the Communication and Information Regional Area during the XVII I.L.G.A. Conference (Rio de Janeiro, June 18-25, 1995). The contact among Buenos Aires groups is thought as a first step towards a National Lesbian, Gay, Transvestite and Transexual Conference, that will probably take place next year. The first meeting (September 18) was focussed on lesbians. It started with a certain tension as two groups - Las Lunas y las Otras (The Moons and The Others), and Grupo de Madres Lesbianas (Lesbian Mothers' Group) read a document placing themselves as mere observers to the meeting, as they did not want to take part in anything sponsored by I.L.G.A. The remaining lesbian grupos explained the activities they are currently doing: Convocatoria Lesbiana -Lesbian Call- (strong presence in the media, contact with isolated women in the interior of the country, published the book "Amor de Mujeres" - Women's Love); Lola Mora (social and reflection groups for lesbians over 50); Escrita en el cuerpo - Written on the Body (archives and library; advicing to students/institutions; about to publish an oral herstory book covering the lifes of Argentinean lesbians from the '30s to the '70s); Lesbianas a la Vista -Lesbians on Sight- (public demonstrations, street drama group, support group for victims of lesbian partner abuse, visibility campaigns); and Grupo de Integracion Lesbica -Lesbian Integration Group (support groups for lesbians about coming out and self-steem issues). The women from the C.H.A. stressed the importance of working alongside with men in those area concerning all of us. The discussion then turn to the most predictable arena: gay men's machismo and misogynia. When many men demanded to be "educated" on the issue, the women unanimously told them that they should educate themselves. Concrete evidence of work done to overcome their machismo -and not mere words- was demanded from those who had been activists for many years. Another issue was some lesbians' rejection of transvestites on the grounds that the later clung to an imagen that was very demeaning for women, a creation of patriarchy with lethal effects on many women. Not all lesbians agreed on that: for some, transvestites wer breaking the system of gender roles and showing there were a very wide range of options between the "femenine" and the "masculine". The second meeting (September 25) focussed on transvestites. The groups Travestis Unidas (Transvestites United) and Asociacion Travestis Argentinas (Argentinean Association of Transvestites) exposed the very hard situation they endure on a daily basis, due to police harassment and the indiference / hostility of the general public and of our community too. 50 transvestites murdered only in Buenos Aires during the last 4 years are a fact quite difficult to be put aside. There were very moving testimonies and interesting concepts, like one transvestite's definition of herself as "a different woman". A.T.A. shared the project of having a place of their own where different services could be offered to transvestites (training courses -for working capabilities-, non discriminatory therapies, etc.). The courage and wisdom of the transvestites made a deep impact on those attending. The third meeting (October 2) focussed on transexuals. Again, there were personal accounts that were moving and worthy of admiration. This times the issues were the situation of "civil death" that comes after surgery, as the government does not give them documents according to their new identities; the high cost of surgery (not practiced in Argentina), and the pain involved in living inside a body one feels so alien. A group that is highly invisible in Argentina up to now appear briefly on the accounts: women to men transexuals. The fourth meeting (October 9) was gays' time. The following groups reported their current activities: Biblioteca Gay Lesbica -Gay/Lesbian Library- (recently created, gathers mostly material about gay/lesbian activism in recent years); Gays por los Derechos Civiles -Gays for Civil Rights- (strong media presence, legal advice); NX (publishes the magazine of the same name); I.S.I.S. (research and reflection, mostly about internalized homphobia); Iglesia de la Comunidad Metropolitana -Metropolitan Community Church- (spirituality) and Comunidad Homosexual Argentina -Argentinean Homosexual Community- (AIDS program, program against discrimination, campaign for the derogation of Police Edicts). A few old controversies came up during this meeting, but the will to overcome them to start working all together was overtly stronger. It was agreed that after the two next scheduled meetings (one for Visibility and one for AIDS), there will be an operative meeting to which the different groups will come with concrete proposals to be carried on together. It seems that the Lesbian, Gay, Transvestite and Transexual Movement in Argentina is making a serious effort to overcome past quarrels, star systems and mistrust. That might be called "coming of age". More news will be coming soon. ADDRESSES ASOCIACION DE TRAVESTIS ARGENTINAS (A.T.A.) Armenia 2324 2do. C (1425) Buenos Aires T.E.: 54-1- 383 84 45 BIBLIOTECA GAY-LESBICA Cesar Vassari / Marcelo Ferreira Parana 157 Dto. F (1017) Buenos Aires T.E./Fax: 49 8955 COMUNIDAD HOMOSEXUAL ARGENTINA (C.H.A.) Alejandro Zalazar / Monica Santino Av. Ridavavia 2057 10mo. C (1033) Buenos Aires Fax: 54-1- 383 2212 T.E.: 54-1- 953 8030 CONVOCATORIA LESBIANA Ilse Fuskova / Claudina Marek C.C. 3904 (1000) Correo Central ESCRITA EN EL CUERPO Chela Amadio / Alejandra Sarda y LESBIANAS A LA VISTA Laura Eiven / Fabiana Tron / Bibi Lorenzano Piedras 1170 - 1ero. B (1070) Buenos Aires T.E.: 54-1- 307 66 56 / 931 96 48 E.mail: ales@wamani.apc.org GAYS Y LESBIANAS POR LOS DERECHOS CIVILES Carlos Jauregui y GRUPO NEXO ASOCIACION CIVIL Diego Tedeschi Loisa Virrey Cevallos 463 1ero. 6 Of. B (1077) Buenos Aires GRUPO DE INVESTIGACION EN SEXUALIDAD E INTERACCION SOCIAL (I.S.I.S) Miguel Angel Policovski C.C. 364, Suc. 25 (1425) Buenos Aires IGLESIA DE LA COMUNIDAD METROPOLITANA Pastor Roberto Gonzalez Don Bosco 3428 7mo.23 (1206) Buenos Aires T.E.: 864 71 29 TRAVESTIS UNIDAS Kenny de Michelis C.C. 103 Suc. 3 B (1403) Buenos Aires -- ales@wamani.apc.org < Fin - End >